The Dems are going to paint themselves into a Socialized medicine corner. Denying that the elections mean anything and ramrodding heath care through regardless. If it passes, Obama is going to look like he opposses the will of the people. If it doesn't pass, Obama looks like a failure who goes against the will of the people. Either way could lead to a big win in 2010.

“On the eve of historic fights for health care and clean energy, opponents of reform have mounted a vicious smear campaign against me,” Jones wrote. “They are using lies and distortions to distract and divide.”

Jones said that he had “been inundated with calls - from across the political spectrum - urging me to “stay and fight.

Reeeally? Across the political spectum? Name one conservative who wants you to stay Mr Jones, just one.

“It all started with their difference in philosophy over healthcare reform,” said Senior Deputy Eric Buschow of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department.

The incident occurred about 7 p.m. Wednesday at a “We Can’t Afford to Wait Vigil” organized by affiliates of the activist group MoveOn.org, which drew supporters of President Obama’s healthcare plan, Buschow said. The rally also attracted several counter-protesters, he said.

During the rally at Lynn Road and Hillcrest Drive, near the Oaks Mall, the two men got into a heated argument and began fighting.

“At which point, one man bit off the left pinky of the other,” Buschow said.

The injured demonstrator then drove himself to Los Robles Hospital and Medical Center about a mile away, he said.

Ilyse Hogue, director of political advocacy and communications for MoveOn.org, called the incident “a regrettable act of violence” in a statement released this morning.

“While we do not have any more facts about what happened than what we saw in press accounts, MoveOn condemns violence in all forms,” Hogue said. “We support the Ventura County sheriff’s investigation into the situation. It is in our firm hope that this event does not detract from the tens of thousands who were out peacefully making their voices heard for health care reform and a public option.” Authorities said they are looking for a white male in his late 40s or 50s who was last seen wearing black shorts and a black shirt.

“We’re still trying to figure out who was the aggressor,” Buschow said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Ventura Sheriff’s Department at (805) 494-8201.

The finger-biting incident occurred after a member of the group protesting health care reform, William Rice, 65, of Newbury Park, became involved in a heated discussion with a member of Code Pink, sheriffs Capt. Ross Bonfiglio said.

After the argument, Rice returned to where his own group was standing.

A man from Moveon.orgs area then walked over to the opponents and verbally confronted Rice, allegedly calling him names and acting aggressively, Bonfiglio said.

Rice later told investigators he felt threatened by the man and punched him in the nose, Bonfiglio said.

The punch set off a fist fight between the two men, during which the tip of Rices left pinky finger was bitten off, Bonfiglio said.

I guess you could say that Rice struck first, but only after the biter went well out of his way to target him. The fact that Rice lost part of a finger indicates something very disturbing about the unknown attacker.

September 12, 2008

January 29, 2007

Spray painting anarchy symbols is part of the M.O. for far-left protesters, but for the Capital police to just stand there while the Capital Building is tagged is just sickening. What the heck is going on with the Capitol authorities? Emphysis mine.

The Hill: Anti-war
protesters were allowed to spray paint on part of the west front steps
of the United States Capitol building after police were ordered to
break their security line by their leadership, two sources told The
Hill.

According to the sources, police
officers were livid when they were told to fall back by U.S. Capitol
Police (USCP) Chief Phillip Morse andDeputy Chief Daniel Nichols. "They were the commanders on the scene," one source said, who requested anonymity. "It was disgusting."

After police ceded the stairs, located on the lower west front of the Capitol, the building was locked down, the source added.

A second source who witnessed the
incident said that the police had the crowd stopped at Third Street,
but were told to bring the police line in front of the Capitol.

Approximately 300 protesters were
allowed to take the steps and began to spray paint "anarchist symbols"
and phrase such as "Our capitol building" and "you can’t stop us"
around the area, the source said.

Morse responded to these claims in an
e-mail Sunday afternoon explaining that the protesters were seeking
confrontation with the police.

"While there were minor instances of
spray painting of pavement by a splinter group of Anarchists who were
seeking a confrontation with the police, their attempts to breach into
secure areas and rush the doors of the Capitol were thwarted," Morse
said. "The graffiti was easily removed by the dedicated [Architect of
the Capitol] staff, some of whom responded on their day off to quickly
clean the area."

He added, "It is the USCP's duty and
responsibility to protect the Capitol complex, staff and public while
allowing the public to exercise their First Amendment rights … at the
end of the day, both occurred without injury to protestors or officers."

Yet, the sources who talked to The Hill were furious that protesters were not stopped before reaching the Capitol.

"To get that close to the Capitol
building, that is ridiculous," the second source said. "[Police] were
told not to arrest anyone."

The second source added that police had to stand by and watch as protesters posed in front of their graffiti.

Tens of thousands of people rallied on
the Mall and the Capitol complex Saturday in protest of the increased
troop deployments and the war in Iraq.

December 17, 2006

Here we go, two potential '08 candidates stake thier claim on the Iraq War. It's no surprize that Mc Cain is in the "Go Big" camp, Richardson is "Go Home". It's beginning to look as if the outcome of this war may be detrimined by the electorate.

Hotline: In New Hampshire this a.m., Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM) will confront Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) on Iraq.

The White House is leaning towards adopting McCain's proposal to add
tens of thousands of combat troops to U.S. forces in Baghdad in a final
effort to secure
the city.

Here's what Richardson says:

“The leading advocate for escalating the war is Senator
John McCain. I have served with John in Congress and I respect him. But
John McCain is wrong, dead wrong to think that we can solve Iraq’s
political crisis through military escalation.”

“There are no quick or easy answers to the crisis in Iraq. Our
choices are between bad options and worse ones. Some prefer military
escalation. Some choose staying the course. These options are
illusions. The only realistic choice we have is to stand down
militarily and let the Iraqis stand up and face the political crisis
which only they can resolve.”

“I’ve been to Iraq and Afghanistan. I worked in this region...we
should harbor no illusions. This withdrawal will not be pretty. People
will die. But fewer will die than if we stay. There are no guarantees
that our departure will end the civil war, but it is sure to continue
so long as we stay. The Iraqis might, or might not, resolve their
political crisis. It is up to them. They distrust and fear one another,
and this makes it very tough. But they share one goal – they don’t want
to destroy their own country. To save it, they need to stop killing
each other and start compromising. And we need to get out of the way.”

Crisis is mentioned twice, as is illusion. Look for the Democrats to repete these same words over and over 'till November '08. Iraq is a CRISIS, victory is an ILLUSION... oh, and we support the troops too.

As a culture, however, the West is paralyzed by the specter of
civilian casualties, massive or not, that accompanies modern (not
high-tech) warfare, and fights accordingly. It may well have been
massive civilian casualties in Germany (40,000 dead in Hamburg after
one cataclysmic night of "fire-bombing" in 1943, for example) and Japan
that helped end World War II in an Allied victory. But this is a price
I doubt any Western power would pay for victory today.

It's hard to argue with that, but it's also hard to believe that when we do leave Iraq the violence will stay in Iraq.

December 04, 2006

Bush is caving in faster than house of cards in a hurricane. I could understand the political expediency of letting Rumsfeld go, but Bolton? Why is it that as soon as the tide turns against the GOP we always knuckle under to the Democrats? The reverse certainly isn't true, even when the Dems lose elections they always act like their in the driver's seat. But not the Republicans, they always seem to need permission from the left in order to govern.

Bush is trying to make peace with with the other side of the Aile while they call us cruelest names and use every advantage, no matter how harmful to the democratic process, to dismantle conservatives . That needs to change.

How many votes do the Republicans get by ridding themselves of Bolton? None. Meanwhile the Democrats gain political and symbolic advantage of a White House that appears to be coming apart at every nail

On the other side of the world (both geographical and politically) Iran has let Ahmadinejad go. I'm sure it's a coincidence, but still, how odd that Bolton and Ahmadinejad lose their jobs on the same day.

Is this a sign that the US and Iran are going for more of a "feel good" approach? No more calls for the genocide of Jews from Iran would be a nice

Dare I say it? That Ahmadinejad's political career has been "wiped off the map"?